Ab urbe condita

For some time neither side gained any advantage, though the Roman cavalry made frequent attempts to break the enemy's line.

When they found that the effect produced was much feebler than the efforts they made, they obtained the Dictator's permission to abandon their horses and fight on foot. They raised a loud cheer and commenced a novel kind of fighting by charging as infantry.

Their onset would have been irresistible had not the special cohorts of the enemy opposed them with a strength and courage equal to their own.

Then the struggle was kept up by the foremost men of each nation. Whatever losses the common chances of battle inflicted on each side were many times greater than could have been expected from their numbers. The rest of the soldiers stood like a crowd of spectators, leaving the fighting to their chiefs as if it were their special privilege, and placing all their hopes of victory on the courage of others. Many fell on both sides, still more were wounded.

At length the cavalry began to ask each other somewhat bitterly, “What was left for them to do if after failing to repulse the enemy when mounted they could make no impression on them whilst fighting on foot. What third mode of fighting were they looking for?